Fasteners



Nov. 22, 1960 E. B. FERNBERG ETAL FAS'IENERS Filed Sept. 25. 1958 N VE N TORSI B/RGER FERNBE/PG ER! C CHI-FORD ALEXANDER SECKERSON litd States Pater'it FASTENERS Erle Birger Fernberg, Northwoo'd, and Clilford Alexander Seckerson, Uxbridge, England, asignors to F.T. Products Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Filed Sept. 25, 1958, Set. N0. 763,327

Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 1, 1957 1 Claim. (Cl. 287-93) 'Ihis application constitntes a continnation-in-part of our application Serial N0. 712,170, filed January 30, 1958 and entitled Fasteners.

The present invention relates to an improved fastener for articulating together a bored member and a crank.

Preferred forms of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figures l, 2 and 3 are respectively a plan, front and and elevation of a fastener,

Figure 4 is a plan of an assembly, of a bored member articulated to a crank with the aid of the fastener cf Figures 1 to 3,

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a plan, front and and elevation of a second fastener, and

Figure 8 is a plan of an assembly of a bored member articulated to a crank with the aid of the fastener of Figures 5 to 7.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 3 at 32 is indicated generally a fastener formed by shearing and bending a single strip 0f material such as steel which can be rendered resilient and rustproof.

The limbs 33 and 34 of the strip are enlarged and rounded and each is formed with a circular aperture, 35 01' 36. Around the apertures the limbs are formed With oppositely and outwardly directed short cylindrical bearings 37 and 38 respectively.

Between the limbs is what will be called a body porti0n 39 extending between the points D and E of Figures 1 to 3. The body ortion is bifurcated as at 40 between the points D and E.

The body portion 39 is joined integrally to each of the limbs 33 and 34 by bent strip portions 41 and 42 each having arms 41a, 41b and 42a, 42b respectively. The arms 41a and 42a respectively carry the limbs 33 and 34. The bent strip portions are bent so that the limbs and the body portion lie in approxixnately parallel spaced planes with the lirnb 33 lying in a plane intermediate the other two planes except When assembled as shown in Figure 4 and described infra. Assuming the body portion 39 to extend in the longitudinal direction, then the limbs and body portion lanes are spaced transversely and the body portion is also spaced longitudinally with respect to the limbs.

The apertures 35 and 36 in the two limbs are approximately, but not quite, in register, With their respective axes 43 and 44 inclined at a small angle.

Integral with, and extending from opposite sides of, the body portion 39 are a pair of cylindrically bowed legs 45 and 46, formed with lead-in lips 47 and 48 respectively. The axis o-f the part-cylinder formed by the legs 45 and 46, which is shown at 49, is inclined at approximately 90 to the axes of the apertures 35 and 36 in the ends.

Preferably, however, the cylinder axis 49 is inclined at 90 to the axis 44 of the lower aperture 36 and at an angle of a little more than 90 to the axis 43 of the upper aperture 35.

ice

The manner in which the fastener is used is illustmted in Figure 4. The crank 50A, 50B is left with a cum: at the inside of the joint cf the longitudinal and trans verse mernbers, relatively so that the bend of the crank can be made in a simple and hence cheap manner. i In order to assemble the joint, the limbs 33 and 34 of the fastener are sprung apart a little to allow the bored lever 50 to be inserted between them. In this way the ends are brought into parallel relationship, whilst the axes 43 and 44 of the apertures are made coaxial and perpendicular to the axis 49 of the part-cylindrical legs 45 and 46. When the lever has been placed betWeen the limbs 33 and 34, the bore in the lever is put into register with the coaxial apertures 35 and 36, the transverse member 50B of the crank is pushed through the crank and the limbs of the fastener, and the legs 45, 46 are snapped over the longitudinal member 50A of the crank, the lead-in lips 47 and 48 facilitating this last mentioned operation.

In the assembled position the aXes 43 and 44 lie in the s-ame straight line which is perpendicular to the axis 49 cf the part-cylinder.

The fact that the bent strip portion 41 and lin1b 33 of the fastener are, in their unstressed condition, inclined obliquely to the axis of the part-cylinder 45, 46 and to the other limb 34, ensures that side-play in the joint is kept to a minimum. The bifurcation 40 between the arms 45 and 46 increases the resilience between these legs and the bearings 37 and 38 diminish wear of the crank and also help to eliminate side-play.

The fastener 51 illustrated in Figures 5 to 8 functions in a manner closely similar to that of Figures 1 to 4 and is similar in structure except for the bifurcation between the snap-engaging arms.

As before the fastener comprises a pair of apertured limbs 52, 53, bent strip portions 54, 55, a body portion 56 extending between the bent strip portions and a pair of part-cylindrical legs 57 and 58 extending frorn the body.

In order to render the legs resilient the body is bifur cated between the points F and G by a cut Which is open only at the two ends of the bifurcation, the bifurcated halves cf the body being in contact between the legs, but being separated on either side of the arms, as at 59 and 60.

The manner in which the fastener is used will be clear from Figure 8.

What we claim is:

A linkage clip for application to a pivotal joint between a crank mernber and a rod member to retain one of said members on a pivot pin carried by the other of said members and simultaneously restrain lateral sliding and angular movements in lanes containing the pivot pin axis between said members, comprising a fastener strip having a pair 0f spaced enlarged inner and outer limbs extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the pivot pin, at least said outer limb being pro'vided with a circular aperture for fitting on to the pivot pin, said fastener strip further having a central body ortion and a bent strip portion between said body portion and each of said limbs, said bent strip portions being inclined relative to said body portion and to said limbs and extending spaced from each other from opposite ends of said body portion, each of said bent strip portions comprising two arms extending at an angle of at least degrees relative to each other, one of said arms merging with one of said limbs, the other of said arms merging with said body portion, said body portion being provided with spring lugs directed outwardly of said body portion to embrace stantiall'ypreventing angul'ar movement cf said one mern.

ber about an axis transverse to the axis of thepivot pin whereby said fastener strip is operative to hold both said members with their longitudinal axes in fixed angular relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pelton ----..l Inne 15, 1915 Roualet July 17, 1934 Powell Nov. 3, 1936 Leighton Feb. 7, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria ....Dec. 27, 1930 

